LEE CATTERMOLE is fit to play his first game since February, but whether Paolo Di Canio turns to him to kickstart Sunderland's season remains unlikely.

The Black Cats' tough-tackling midfielder has been battling back to fitness after knee surgery and a little set-back on his road to recovery he received playing for the Under-21s last month.

But Cattermole is understood to be ready to play again should Di Canio need him to in his attempts to lead Sunderland to a first Premier League win of the season.

Di Canio had been looking to offload last season's captain before the end of the transfer window but he has remained on the club's books.

There has been talk of a loan move to the Championship, although the former England Under-21s midfielder who attracted interest from Liverpool not too long ago would be reluctant to drop out of the top-flight.

Sunderland play Arsenal at the Stadium of Light this weekend when a further defeat from their opening four league games could leave them bottom of the pile.

Di Canio is confident things will turn around but he was never able to persuade director of football Roberto De Fanti to land the English type midfielder he had been looking for before the transfer deadline.

And while Cattermole has his critics for his disciplinary problems on the pitch, there is no disguising that when he is on song he has exactly the sort of tenacity and ball-playing ability Di Canio has been looking to add to the Sunderland midfield.

The 25-year-old, a £6m signing from Wigan four years ago, has not played since having to go off injured at half-time when Arsenal last visited Wearside on February 9. The Gunners won that day 1-0.

Di Canio did not completely rule out Cattermole returning to action in a Sunderland shirt if he remained at the club after the closure of the transfer window.

He has been given the number 33 shirt, so is included in the Premier League squad, and Di Canio is now contemplating working on ways of involving him again.

Cattermole, whose friendships with some of the old guard the manager has been moving on has not helped his cause, could do with staying injury-free and available.

He was a favourite under Martin O'Neill and Steve Bruce, but has not played under Di Canio having suffered a recurrence of his knee trouble in the weeks building up to the Sunderland boss' appointment.